Elsa Matilde Zardini (1949–2020) was an Argentine-Paraguayan botanist, teacher, curator, and explorer. She made botanical expeditions in the US, Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. Three botanical taxon names were authored by Zardini. Her specialization was the flora of the Plata basin, with an emphasis on that of Paraguay.
Early life and education
In 1973 Zardini earned a master's degree in Science, and in 1974 a PhD, both at the
National University of La Plata
The National University of La Plata (, UNLP) is a national public research university located in the city of La Plata, capital of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It has over 90,000 regular students, 10,000 teaching staff, 17 departments and 10 ...
in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Career
Zardini was one of the disciples of the Argentine botanist
Ángel Lulio Cabrera
Ángel Lulio Cabrera (born 19 October 1908 in Madrid, Spain – died 8 July 1999 in Buenos Aires, Argentina) was an Argentine botanist.
Biography
Born in Madrid, Cabrera was the son of zoologist and paleontologist Ángel Cabrera
Ángel Leop ...
among them: Genoveva Dawson, Otto Solbrig, Jorge Morello, Humberto A. Fabris (1924–1976),
Delia Abbiatti
Delia Abbiatti (born 1918) is an Argentinian botanist and pteridologist, noted for studying ''Eriocaulaceae'', ''Loranthaceae'', ''Thelypteris'', and ''Cyclosorus''. The species ''Perezia abbiattii'' and ''Thelypteris abbiattii'' were named in h ...
, Noemí Correa, Delia Añón Suárez, Cristina Orsi, Amelia Torres, Aída Pontiroli, Jorge Crisci, Roberto Kiesling and Fernando Zuloaga. In 2011 she became associate curator of the
Missouri Botanical Garden
The Missouri Botanical Garden is a botanical garden located at 4344 Shaw Boulevard in St. Louis, Missouri. It is also known informally as Shaw's Garden for founder and philanthropy, philanthropist Henry Shaw (philanthropist), Henry Shaw. I ...
.
Spermatophyte
A seed plant or spermatophyte (; New Latin ''spermat-'' and Greek ' (phytón), plant), also known as a phanerogam (taxon Phanerogamae) or a phaenogam (taxon Phaenogamae), is any plant that produces seeds. It is a category of embryophyte (i.e. la ...
s was an area of interest for her.
She died in 2020.
Publications
Flora of the Guianas
Onagraceae
The Onagraceae are a family of flowering plants known as the willowherb family or evening primrose family. They include about 650 species of herbs, shrubs, and treesLulia'', '' Lulia nervosa'', and ''
Trichocline deserticola
''Trichocline'' is a genus of Australian and South American plants in the tribe Mutisieae within the family Asteraceae. It consists of one species from Australia ''(T. spathulata)'' and twenty-three from South America.
Its closest relatives are ...